A COLLECTION OF MEDICAL ARTICLES FOR MEN.
AS APPEARED IN MAKSIMAN AND WRITTEN BY DR. MICHAEL MOL.

Attention: Hypertension

Some time back I went to sleep with perfectly normal blood pressure, an unremarkable 120/80. The following day, I woke up in a blood pressure danger zone. What happened? My blood pressure didn't spike overnight, somebody shifted the goal posts ... and revised blood pressure guidelines to include a new category: prehypertension.

Anyone with a systolic (the top number) reading of 120 or over, or a diastolic (bottom) reading of 80 or over, now has prehypertension (approx 25% of the population). No, doctors are not trying to scare us - this a serious wake-up call. People with blood pressure levels between 120/80 and 140/90 - levels once considered normal - have twice the risk of heart disease as those with low blood pressure. And people with full blown hypertension, defined as blood pressure above 140/90 (another 25% of the population) - have four times the risk of heart disease as people with low blood pressure.

Bottom line – 50% of our population fall into one or the other category, so there’s a strong possibility that you’re the one in two who do.

So what’s dangerous about high blood pressure?
It’s one of the leading causes of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and premature death. Together with cigarette smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes mellitus, it constitutes the so-called cardiovascular risk profile. 95% of high blood pressure (called primary or essential hypertension) has no known cause, and in the majority of instances has no symptoms either – earning itself the dubious title of “the silent killer.” So the next best bet is to be aware of the risk factors – as follows:

Risk Factors:
Family history of hypertension
Increased age (men are also more likely than women to develop High BP)
Obesity
Physical inactivity
Excessive alcohol consumption
high intake of sodium (salt) and a low intake of potassium & magnesium

The diagnosis will be made by your physician by obtaining a high reading on three separate occasions usually a week or two apart... but be aware of “White Jacket Syndrome” – a condition that causes your blood pressure to rise as soon as a doctor measures it!

Your treatment (assuming you fall into the unfortunate 50% category) will depend upon how high your blood pressure is, whether you have other medical conditions, such as diabetes, and whether any organs have already been damaged. Hypertension cannot be cured, only controlled, and as such, whether it involves medication or simply lifestyle changes – it is usually a lifelong process.

Leaving the medical treatment to your able physician, let’s briefly look at lifestyle modifications which can not only control, but also prevent developing the condition... prevention IS better than cure! This applies especially to the prehypertension crowd – who don’t require medication... yet!

Lifestyle Modifications: In order of priority...

• Maintain a normal weight, with a Body Mass Index (BMI*) of 18.5 to 24.9.
  
• Following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH**) eating plan - a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, with reduced amounts of saturated and total fats.
  
• Reducing sodium in your diet to an average 2.4 g per day, which is about 1 teaspoon of salt.
  
• Exercise, such as brisk walking, at least 30 minutes a day on most, if not all, days of the week.
  
• Limiting alcohol to no more than two drinks per day. Women and lighter-weight people should limit alcohol to half that amount.
  
• Getting 3,500g of potassium in your diet every day.

The secret here is “lifestyle” changes, not fad diets or quick fixes, but something you can live with to help you live longer!

Extra Info:

*BMI is body mass index, a measurement of the ratio of height to weight. It can be calculated by dividing your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters, squared).

**DASH diet -- This eating plan is based on a daily intake of 2,000 calories:

• 7-8 servings per day of grains and grain products (these can include breakfast cereal, whole grain bread, rice, pasta, etc.)
  
• 4-5 servings of vegetables
  
• 4-5 servings of fruit
  
• 2-3 servings of low-fat or nonfat dairy foods
  
• No more than two servings per day of meat, poultry, and fish
  
• 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes per week
  
• 2-3 servings of fats and oils (serving example: 1 teaspoon of margarine or oil, 1 tablespoon of salad dressing or mayonnaise)
  
• 5 servings of sweets per week (only low-fat treats like sugar, jelly, or sorbet

"If Only..."

As a boy I spent four years in the scouting fraternity. Apart from developing a love for the outdoors and an uncanny ability to make fire - I also learned two vital words from Baden Powell, the movements’ founder: “Be prepared.”

Hindsight will haunt you after an emergency you weren’t prepared for, especially an accident in the home. Something as simple as a piece of paper stuck on the fridge door with all the essential emergency telephone numbers on it could mean the difference between life and death.

Test yourself quickly: A family member collapses at home, lying motionless on the kitchen floor – whom are you going to call? (No, not Ghostbusters!)

‘110’ from your mobile phone, or is it ‘112’. Could it be ‘147’ ?
‘10111’ – but isn’t that the police, and it’ll only work from a landline.
‘911’ – only if we were living in America!
Forget the phone a yell for a neighbour’s help – they should know!
None of the above – just run into the road shouting for an ambulance!

If you aren’t able to give a definite answer, you’re unprepared for an emergency … and that’s dangerous. If you do know, ask yourself this: “Does my family know too?” because it could be you lying unconscious on the kitchen floor.

Three major companies largely handle South Africa’s medical emergencies, each with their own telephone numbers and dedicated group of medical aids. So there’s a bit of homework here – find out which Crisis service company is affiliated with your medical aid, and emblazon their emergency number at the top of your essential list.

If, like many South Africans, you haven’t got medical aid – there are two toll free national crisis numbers at your disposal:

‘112’
This number is the disaster receptionist. Callers are routed to the nearest public emergency service, whether it is the police, the fire brigade, an ambulance or telephonic crisis assistance. 112 can be keyed into any mobile phone, regardless of Network, Key lock or Pin lock status, but it won’t work from a landline.

‘10177’
This national number will directly put you through to an ambulance service, and is therefore only used for medical emergencies. It works from both a landline and a cell phone.

These numbers are must-haves. For quicker reference on your list add local telephone numbers to the sub-headings: Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance and very importantly – your nearest Poisons centre.

Having these numbers handy is a good idea, but it will stay just a good idea unless you do something about it today! Avoid the “If only’s” at all costs!

Copyright © Carpe Diem Media

SARS - A Taxing tale...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is an uncharacteristic pneumonia of unknown aetiology that was recognized at the end of February 2003, first spread in a Hong Kong elevator and described in patients predominantly from Asia and North America. As at the beginning of May just on 5000 cases had been reported worldwide, and the puzzling flu-like illness had already claimed 300 lives, a 6% mortality rate. 90% of reported cases originated in China, Hong Kong and Surrounds, and Canada was as distant second with 200 victims. South Africa had one. Most patients have been previously healthy adults. Should we then panic about a pending catastrophe, like the 1918 flu pandemic that spread across the globe in 4 months and claimed 20 million lives? No, modern medicine has greatly increased our odds of survival in the last century, but we need to be vigilant nonetheless…

Like flu, SARS spreads through close person to person contact. Infectious droplets (spread through coughing) may be breathed in or contaminate any number of surfaces. Touching those areas and then your eyes, nose or mouth could infect you and transmit the disease.

The incubation period of SARS (the time from initial infection to the first sign of symptoms) is usually 2-7 days but may be as long as 10 days. The illness generally begins with a high fever (>38C), sometimes associated with chills and rigors and occasionally accompanied by other symptoms including headache, physical exhaustion, and body pains. After 3 to 7 days you can expect the onset of a dry, non-productive cough or difficulty in breathing. In 10 to 20% of cases it may progress to a severe oxygen deficiency in the blood, requiring mechanical ventilation.

Unfortunately, we’re dealing with a host of non-specific symptoms that make SARS a diagnosis by exclusion, and there is no specific diagnostic test yet. There is also no proven treatment regimen. A combination of antivirals, antibiotics and steroids have been used to date, but have only warded off every other bug except the culprit, which scientists currently believe to be a new resistant strain of the coronavirus.

Rumours of biological terrorism have been alleviated by the fact that the pattern of transmission is typical of a flu-like disease, affecting mostly healthcare workers and household contacts of SARS patients.
What then can be done to avoid SARS? Yes, be careful where you travel, and consult the World Health Organizations website on travel advice (updated daily). But mostly use common sense precautions, namely: good hand hygiene (regular washing); avoid sharing utensils, towels or bedding; avoid crowded places with poor ventilation, keep your immune system in check through healthy living and eating – and avoid close contact (closer than a meter) with someone who’s infected.
Viruses are generally no respecters of persons, except persons that respect them… vigilance friends, always.

Copyright © Carpe Diem Media